Forest of Black and Skies of Grey
by Headbanger62
Summary: Ten years into the future after Ron and Hermione dissappeared, Harry and Ginny's son is put in danger from memories from the past.


Forest of Black and Skies of Grey  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or story. They belong to J. K. Rowling. I do own any new characters that I create.  
  
  
Chapter One: Green Eyes  
  
Those green eyes were there again. Those cold, piercing voids that drilled into your soul. They were always there, in that blackness, staring at him, trying to drive him into madness. He fought, and yet they pressed on. He tried to look away, but he couldn't. He could feel himself being sucked into those green eyes. He tried to pull himself out. But he couldn't. They were sucking him in. He got closer and closer to those green eyes. Then he heard a voice. A voice that was pulling him out of this world. 'Wake up!' it said. 'Wake up!'  
  
"Wake up! Come on, wake up!" said the woman as she shook her husbands shoulder. He was trembling violently in his sleep. Her husband shot up suddenly, soaked in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavy and his heart was pounding. He was Harry Potter. The "Boy who Lived." And yet, he was having nightmares that were keeping him awake for almost a week. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern filling her voice. Her husband ran a hand through his sweat-soaked black hair.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine Ginny." he replied, but his wife didn't believe him.  
  
"Did you have that dream again?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah." he said as he got up from their bed and headed out to his son's room. They had a strange connection with their dreams. Whenever one of them had a nightmare, the other would have the exact same dream, down to every detail. Just as he had predicted, when he went into the room of his son, he was also shaking in his sleep. He sat on the chair beside the bed and shook his son's shoulder, but to no avail.  
  
"James. Jimmy, wake up." he said while again shaking his six year old son's shoulder. It didn't work. He shook harder. Nothing. He tried again, and finally, his son shot up from his bed.  
  
"I had that dream again." he said while choking back tears. The dream scared him badly every time he had it.  
  
"I know. I know." said his father while pulling him into a hug. His son hugged him back tightly, not wanting to let go. It took a good ten minutes before the boy stopped trembling. "Are you okay?" the father asked, his voice as calm and soft as he could muster, after having the same, terrifying dream himself. His son simply nodded. "Was it the same as last time?" asked Harry. James paused, but finally answered.  
  
"No." he said. Harry looked at him quizzically.  
  
"What was different?" James obviously could not respond. He simply started sobbing into his father's chest. Harry knew immediately that whatever was different, it scared him worst than usual. Harry gently patted his son's back, trying to calm him down. When Harry no longer heard James sobbing, he noticed that he had fallen asleep. He laid his son back down into his bed, and pulled the covers back onto him.  
  
Harry got up and went back to his own rooms where he saw that his wife had fallen back asleep. He gently kissed her on the cheek as he laid his head down onto his pillow, but he couldn't sleep. He kept thinking of that day ten years ago.  
  
Flashback  
  
It was the Christmas holidays during Harry's last year at Hogwarts. Him and his two best friends, Hermione and Ron, where staying over the holidays. Both Hermione and Ron's parents were visiting relatives. Harry however always stayed over the holidays. The longer he could stay away from his family, the Dursleys, the better. Him and his two friends were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, trying to find something to pass the time.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to play Wizard's Chess?" asked Ron for the fifth time.  
  
"No! You always win!" moaned Harry while Hermione just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Fine, we don't have to play Wizard's Chess." said Ron in his exasperation. "But there's not much else we can do-we have no classes, most of the teachers are off for the holidays, Hagrid's visiting a friend-we're practically the only one's left in this whole castle!"  
  
"Except Malfoy. His parents are visiting his sick aunt." said Hermione.  
  
"Oh god! I forgot! We're stuck in an empty castle with Malfoy!" yelled Ron. They all gagged.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna take a walk for a while. I'll see ya." said Harry as he got up from his chair.  
  
"Alright." said Ron and Hermione in response. Harry made his way out of the portrait hole and into the long hallway. He wondered down a few random halls, looking in a door or two that he didn't recognize. All he found was a closet and a big black room that had no light in it whatsoever-when Harry cast a light spell, there was nothing but more room.  
  
He exited this room, not satisfied with his adventuring. Then he saw another door he hadn't seen before. Just as he was about to turn the door knob, he heard to loud screams coming from the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Hermione where. Harry immediately recognized their voices and ran harder and faster than he ever had before.   
  
"Oh my god. Please be okay." he said as he kept running, turning and twisting through the many passage ways that he took. He was amazed at how he remembered the way back to the Common room so quickly without really thinking. Just as he was about to yell the password to the portrait hole, he saw that the actual portrait was torn off the wall and tossed to the floor below. He decided to examine the painting later. He crawled as fast as he could through the hole and into the large, now empty room.  
  
"Ron! Hermione! Where are you!?" he yelled, looking around the Common room, trying to find his missing friends. He looked everywhere he could. All the way from the portrait hole, to the dormitories. When he looked under the chair's they were sitting in earlier, he could see two long sticks. Upon closer inspection, he discovered they where Ron and Hermione's wands. If they left their wands here, something must've been really wrong.  
  
Harry again ran as fast as he could, this time to get to Professor Dumbledore's office. He yelled the password (lemon drops) and almost tore the door off the hinges when he entered Professor Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore! Something's wrong! Ron and Hermione!" said Harry, trying to speak while catching his breathe at the same time.  
  
"Slow down Harry. What's the hurry? And what's this about Ron and Hermione?" asked Dumbledore as he motioned for Harry to sit down in the chair opposite of his.  
  
"It's Ron and Hermione! I heard them scream and now I can't find them! When I went back to the Gryffindor Common room, they were gone! When I looked for them all I could find was their wands!" said Harry as he handed the two wands to Dumbledore.  
  
"What? They were gone? And they left their wands behind? ...Take me there, Harry." said Dumbledore as he and Harry got up and left his office. Somehow, Dumbledore managed to keep up with the younger boy as they both ran down the halls and into the Common room.  
  
"They were sitting right there. I found their wands right under the chairs they were sitting in before I left to go on a walk. When I heard them scream, I came back as fast as I could but I couldn't find them." said Harry, again straining to catch his breathe. Now Dumbledore was examining the two chairs.  
  
"Stand back, Harry." Harry did as he was told and backed up behind Dumbledore. The Headmaster pulled out his wand and pointed it at the two chairs. "Memorius!" he called. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of white light emitting from Dumbledore's wand. It lasted only a few moments, then it disappeared. But now, Harry could see a slightly transparent version of himself sitting in the center chair, with Ron and Hermione, sitting in their chairs, also transparent. He could see them having the conversation they had just had minutes before. Harry stared in awe as they talked to each other. It was like looking into an penceive.  
  
"Oh god! I forgot! We're stuck in an empty castle with Malfoy!" said the ghost Ron. Dumbledore smiled at Ron's less than pleasant observation.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna take a walk for a while. I'll see ya." the ghost image of Harry said as he got up from his chair. Just as he got up, he faded away.  
  
"Still can't think of anything to do?" said Ron after a moments pause.  
  
"Nope." replied Hermione. "We've already done all our homework. No one else to talk to." Just then, the fire, which was now also a ghost image, started to flare violently and almost burned Ron's arm.  
  
"Hey! What's going on!?" he yelled. He and Hermione got up and stared at the fire as it grew bigger and bigger, flaring more and more, threatening to burn down the entire Gryffindor Common room.  
  
"What's happening Professor?" asked the real Harry, finally managing to say something.  
  
"It's a memory spell. It displays what's recently happened in a room. It will tell us what happened to your friends." Dumbledore replied. Suddenly, a long, snake like hand reached out from the fire, and grabbed at Ron, but he leaped away just in time. He and Hermione backed up some to give to keep anything like that from happening again.  
  
"What the hell?" said Ron.  
  
"Come with me... Come with me..." said a deep, menacing voice that came from the fire. The hand was making a "come here" motion with it's finger. Then, Ron and Hermione's wands flew from their hands and rolled under the chairs. Ron and Hermione, smart enough not to try and get them back, just backed up more.  
  
"Who are you!? What do you want!?" yelled Hermione, as the hand slowly reached out of the fire, seemingly pulling itself out. But the rest of it's body did not come out. It simply extended itself out of the fire, again reaching for Ron and Hermione.  
  
"I am the one that will destroy you if you don't come with me." it said back.  
  
"Never!" yelled Ron. "You're Voldemort, aren't you!?" he said, not hesitating to say it's name like he usually did.  
  
"Your smarter than I thought. You will make good soldiers." It pointed it's long, index finger at Ron, and called out, "Crucio!!" Ron doubled over in pain, holding his stomach and clenching his teeth.  
  
"Ron! Ron, are you okay!?" said Hermione as she tried to help Ron to his feet.  
  
The hand pointed it's finger at Hermione. "Crucio!!" it yelled again. Now, Hermione was also on the ground, writhing in pain and holding her stomach. Harry watched on, helpless as his friends were suffering. Then, Ron and Hermione looked as if they were being dragged toward the fire by an invisible arm. The hand retracted into the fire, and it suddenly turned a dark, blackish color. Harry's friends suddenly were pulled right into it, disappearing into the black, evil flame. Then, just as soon as it started, the memory vanished into thin air. The black fire was gone, replaced with the orange, calm flame.  
  
"Oh my lord. Voldemort took them." said Dumbledore as Harry walked over to the fire, staring into it with a feeling of hatred that he never felt before. "Harry, I'm sorry." Harry just continued to stare into the flame, hating himself that he ever left his friends alone. He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands.  
  
"No. No! This can't happen! How did he get through!? How did he get through the defenses damn it!?" He began to cry into his hands. Dumbledore kneeled over and put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder as he screamed the names of his friends several times as if it would bring them back.  
  
End Flashback  
  
Harry hadn't seen Ron and Hermione since that day ten years ago. Harry laid in his bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. His life had taken a serious turn for the worst after Ron and Hermione were taken. The entire school was shocked, except of course for the Slytherins who merely said things like, "Too bad." and "Oh well." Harry had sank into a deep depression, not caring about anything that happened around him. He didn't talk to anyone, he didn't eat, he didn't even attend his classes. The teachers, minus Professor Snape, became so concerned for him, that they decided it would be best for him to drop out of Hogwarts for the time being, and live with Remus until his mental condition improved. It took almost a year of sleepless nights and letters to and from Sirius Black, but eventually, Harry got over his depression. After he finished his remaining years at Hogwarts, he and Ginny dated for a while, and eventually, got married. A year later, James was born. Harry named him after his deceased father.  
  
Harry just couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning, trying to find a position comfortable enough. After an hour, he just gave up and went into the living room. It was large, and heavily decorated. There were pictures, tapestries, decorative shields and swords, several book cases, and many other types of adornments. Harry could not bear to put up any pictures with Ron or Hermione in them. It made him to sad to see them moving and talking in the photo, and yet he could not communicate with them, to tell them he was sorry. Harry sat down at his desk that he, Ginny and James spent so many days sitting at and coloring. This time though, Harry would send a letter to two of the very few people he still talked to. Harry opened the drawer on the right side of the desk, and took out a quill, bottle of ink and a piece of parchment. Harry puzzled a moment, chewing on the end of his quill. After a minute of thinking, he dipped the end of the long, snow-white feather into the bottle and began writing on the parchment in his usual hurried-looking writing.  
  
Dear Sirius and Remus,  
  
Me and Jimmy had that nightmare again. My dream was the same as usual, but when I asked Jimmy if it was the same, he said no. I couldn't get him to tell me what was different, but, whatever it was, it scared him pretty bad. I don't understand why my dream would be the same, but his different. Could you two come over Saturday? I think he could use the company. I'm worried that all this might be connected to the disappearance of Ron and Hermione, or at least Voldemort.  
  
Love, Harry  
  
P.S. Remus, send this letter back with Hedwig Two. She'll take it to Sirius.  
  
  
Harry examined his letter, and was satisfied. He gently prodded his owl, Hedwig Two, awake from her sleep. She hooted in anger from being woke up, but stuck her leg out-quite proudly at that-when she saw that Harry had a letter ready for her. He had several owls, because he worked for the Ministry of Magic-he wiped the memories from any Muggles who saw or ran into anything magical-and always had to have spare owls in case the main one, Hedwig Two, was making a delivery. Harry tied it to the snowy white owls leg and opened the window near her perch.  
  
"Take it to Remus, then Sirius. Please hurry." he said before he petted her and sent her off. Harry rested his weary head in his hands, and began thinking about everything that has happened with Voldemort, looking for some kinds of connection. Why would he take Ron and Hermione, but not come after Harry later? Voldemort hadn't made an appearance since then. No one had so much has mentioned his name. Harry had spent many nights pondering why his two best friends were so cruelly snatched from him. Ginny walked in no sooner then Harry had fallen asleep right on his table. She smiled, ventured back into their bedroom, and came back with a small blanket. She placed over Harry's shoulders and kissed him on his forehead. Then she went back to her bed and fell asleep also. 


End file.
